Sharon statement boosts road map for peace

Sharon statement boosts road map for peace

Wednesday 4 June 2003 07.18 EDT
First published on Wednesday 4 June 2003 07.18 EDT

George Bush's Middle East peace campaign today received a boost as the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, voiced support for the creation of an interim Palestinian state.

In a preliminary statement released after his meeting with the US president in Jordan, Mr Sharon said that he would "address the possibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders, if conditions permit".

The draft statement, which comes ahead of a speech by the Israeli prime minister later today, voiced support for the US-backed road map to peace.

It says: "The prime minister's office states that the Palestinian state will be, among other things, completely demilitarised, and this nation will be the home of the Palestinian diaspora and Palestinian refugees will not be allowed into Israeli territory."

In a further sign that both sides are coming closer to an agreement over the way forward, the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen, announced that he is ready to immediately implement the road map.

Mr Abbas, who also met Mr Bush this morning ahead of a three-way summit between the leaders, said that he will also urge Palestinian militants to lay down their arms in the 32-month-old uprising for statehood and continue the struggle through peaceful means.

"We will implement [the road map] firmly and without compromise. We will begin immediately. We will exert full efforts to ending the militarisation of the intifada [uprising].

"The armed intifada must end, and we must resort to peaceful means to achieve our goals," Mr Abbas says in a draft statement obtained by Reuters.

However, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled has urged caution over the progress of today's talks, saying: "I would think the statements are going to sort of fall short of a few of the things we would like to see."

Mr Sharon will make clear in his statement "that Israel is the Jewish state of the Jewish people," Mr Peled told the Associated Press.

"Obviously, the reasoning for that is very clear: we haven't managed to get a clear commitment from the Palestinians or from the Arabs recognising Israel."

The Palestinians fear that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state would mean abandoning their call for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, around 4 million people, to return to their former homes in Israel.

The latest developments come the day after Mr Bush met Arab leaders in Egypt, when he reaffirmed his commitment to the creation of a separate Palestinian state.

Mr Bush won the backing of the Arab states, including the personal backing of the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, for the road map, after calling for Israel to give Palestinians a "place they can call home".

He concluded yesterday's talks on a positive note, saying: "If all sides fulfill their obligations, we can make steady progress on the road toward Palestinian statehood, a secure Israel and a just and comprehensive peace."